Classic Rock and Classical Mix in Broadway Musical ‘Rocktopia’

Classic rock is coming to Broadway next spring — and it will have classical company.

The stage musical Rocktopia, a live show that "celebrates the fusion of rock songs from the past century with classical music," is booked for a six-week run at the Broadway Theatre in New York City between March 20 and April 29, 2018. Crowding an assortment of vocalists, a five-piece band, a 40-person choir and an orchestra of 20 onto the stage, Rocktopia promises to deliver audiences an experience running the gamut from Handel to the Who, with a number of stops in between.

"We love both classical music and classic rock. There are so many parallels between the genres and between the ‘rock stars’ who composed and performed them," featured singer and show creator Rob Evan told Variety. "With Rocktopia, we want to break down barriers and any preconceived notion of what either genre is about – and electrify and inspire lovers of either musical style with these completely original new pieces."

According to The New York Times, the show will be broken down thematically, with the program divided into movements organized along emotional lines like "love" and "angst." As the paper's report put it, "Puccini’s romantic 'Musetta’s Waltz' will be melded with the Beatles’ 'Something'; Rachmaninoff’s yearning Piano Concerto No. 2 will turn into Heart’s 'Alone'; and Stravinsky’s 'Rite of Spring' will wail and rage next to Jimi Hendrix’s 'Purple Haze.'" Through it all, Evan insists, "We're not dumbing down that music. We're honoring it."

Tickets for Rocktopia's Broadway run are now on sale. Check out the trailer above, and for more details and ticketing information, visit the show's official site.